Students Using iPhones as an Educational Tool
Posted by Chloe Chavez | November 6, 2009
Guest Blogger: Ashley Noel, Campus Liaison for the University of Wisconsin at Stout
Students can use the Netter's Anatomy Flashcards iPhone App to study for an exam!
Not just a fad, iPhones are rapidly proving themselves to be a successful tool for students in the classroom. Introduced back in Summer of 2007, Apple’s new and innovative cell phone was quickly named “Invention of the Year” by Time Magazine.
In an article written by Simmi Aujla, Abilene Christian University gave an iPhone to every first-year student in 2008 to increase the quality of communication between students and professors. Students admitted to using the technology at least once a day for their school work. Executive Vice President of the University had nothing but rave reviews on the students behalf for the new program. In addition, it was acknowledged that with the given time frame of how new the program is, there is not enough conclusive data to prove that the success rate of students has risen; but that the first step of getting students enthused has been accomplished.
As a devout BlackBerry user, I had to investigate further as to what applications the iPhone offers that would benefit students such as myself. Mental Case, an interactive application that begins with a Mac computer, allows flashcards to be created and synced to your device. I can see this application being most popular, as this is a great tool to cram in the last bit of studying while riding the never-ending bus ride to school. Record a Lecture is a fantastic way to share class lectures with your fellow absent peers; another app feature allows the recording to be sent via email. Lastly, iHomework, is an assignment calendar allows you to stay organized using your iPhone and eliminates the need to carry around the obnoxious day-planner. This application allows the user to stay on top of deadlines by sorting assignments by day, week, and specifically by course.
iPhone is currently skimming the surface with all of the opportunities to reach the student demographic and to add value to the education system. In my opinion, Apple is off to an incredibly engaging start! Check out more Apps for Students!
